Hey peeps! I'm a (probably) new 2008 BMW 550i owner. Should be picking it up this week. I don't know if this is the right forum for the specific model, as I have yet to figure out the letter number distinction for certain year. Anyway. I feel like I'm getting a pretty good deal on one from a friend's BF who left the car sit for 2 years aftet he bought a new one. It does have just under 200000 miles on it , but getting it for 1500. Obviously, it'd gonna need a new battery and all tires are flat. It did start first try and the clutch felt good when I moved it. My question is, are there any things in particular I should be looking at for this specific vehicle that may be on its way out? Other that the usual high mileage things that can go with any car? Sorry if this is in the wrong section, I will figure it out the more I start getting into these. Thanks in advance

 

I'd encourage you to read through this thread before you put any serious money down. New here? Read This before You Begin - 5Series.net - Forums

The E60 5 Series has come down to a reasonable price point for purchase, but that doesn't mean that these cars are inexpensive to maintain. If you are mechanically inclined, that helps, but you can expect to spend upwards of $3000 a year just to maintain a car in reasonably good condition, especially a 550. In your case, it could be a lot more than that, given that the car was neglected for 2 years. We wish you the best of luck and we're here to help if you have any questions.

 

I'm prepared to put in the effort. I've done all types work on cars, but I'm sure these beast are a bit more expensive. This would be my back up to the back up to the back up car, so I'm not in a hurry . I always loved the looks of these cars. I appreciate an and all help. Thanks for responding so quickly. I did just read through the link to and it's very helpful

 

I hope you got a good pile of maintenance records for the car, or at least a buyer who is willing to tell you what he did (and didn't!) do. Depending on those answers, you could be driving a car you virtually stole, or you could easily triple (or more) your investment in pretty short order. That would still be a whole lotta car for chump change, IMHO. Me, I wanted something reliable and relatively fuel-efficient and opted for the 530xi (Touring). Not nearly as exciting, but still "interesting" to keep on the road, especially if you like your cars really dialed in.

 

What other cars do you have?

 

2000 CAMARO SS with 12000 orginal miles
2014 Gmc yukon denali
2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe
2009 Jeep Commander Hemi
and in the works,, 1994 wrangler

 

Not much for brand loyalty, I like that

 

This is true. You can argue good points and bad points about every vehicle brand. They all have their flaws, but as long as you take care of them, they are mostly minimal.